Hormones Regulate Biological Processes

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Hormones are powerful chemical messengers, and even small amounts can have significant effects on your body. The way hormones interact with target cells and the type of hormone determines how fast or slow the response or change is noticed.

Unexpected weight gain can lead to other health issues and increase the risk of morbidity and mortality. To manage and reverse hormonal weight gain, it's important to maintain a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet.

There are two main types of hormones: slow acting hormones like steroids and thyroid hormones, and fast acting hormones like peptides and catecholamines. Your body produces the right amount of each hormone for its needs. So, there you have it. This amazing system that regulates all biological processes in your body, from conception to old age, is responsible for brain development, reproductive system function, metabolism, and even your blood sugar levels.

Hormones Make It Difficult to Manage Weight

When hormones are balanced, levels are neither excessively high nor low. However, imbalances can lead to a broad range of discomforts including more difficulty losing weight than adding pounds. Discussed below are often the cause of imbalances, including:

Estrogen: By understanding how estrogen hormone affects weight gain and making lifestyle changes to support hormonal balance, both men and women can achieve their weight goals for healthy living.

Progesterone: Progesterone helps support the thyroid, which regulates your metabolism. Imbalances between estrogen and progesterone can lead to weight gain, salt cravings, water retention and feeling fat with low progesterone levels being the probable cause.

Testosterone: Since issues with testosterone balance can arise due to illness or as a part of a man or woman’s aging process. Exercise, a healthy diet, and medication management can help to restore balance to your hormone production and release.

Insulin: Insulin is known as the fat-storage hormone and is released to help regulate various metabolic processes in response to rising blood glucose levels. It is produced by your pancreas and plays a crucial role in converting the food you consume into energy with any excess stored in targeted fat cells.

Cortisol: Cortisol plays a role in your metabolism by providing a surge of energy for survival situations. However, it can increase appetite and lead to cravings for unhealthy sugary, salty and fatty foods. To reduce cortisol belly fat, manage stress, get enough sleep, and align your body's natural rhythm.

Thyroid Hormone: Among its significant responsibilities, thyroxin hormone increases the basal metabolic rate, influencing the body's energy expenditure at rest. Additionally, thyroid hormones regulate metabolism, and an imbalance in these hormones can contribute to conditions like Grave's disease or Hashimoto's disease.

Allowing unexpected hormonal weight gain to go untreated increases your risks of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep disturbances, heart disease and certain types of cancer. In addition, imbalances can contribute to mental health problems as well.

Making smart dietary changes can support improved hormonal health and make weight management much easier. Increasing fiber intake, which can be done through fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, promotes the release of ghrelin hormone that controls hunger.

An MRC at-home test kit can help identify any imbalances and guide you towards the right treatment.